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Sunday, 24 August 2014

Hi there
After my trip to the Festival of Quilts and reading some quilt magazines I have got recently I am wondering whether I am a modern quilter or not?? Does it matter?!!!

I love traditional quilt patterns but also make brighter quilts using modern fabric and lots of white. I have been making lots of small items recently for a couple of swaps I have signed up for and these have all been bright and colourful using some of the techniques I see in modern quilts.

I have not been happy with the table mats in our caravan so I have made a new set in some gorgeous fabric I bought on a day out in Cambridge while we were on holiday in Norfolk.

These look "modern " to me and were made using strip piercing and what I understand as muted low volume fabrics. The larger runner was made using the "quilt as you go "method which seems to be all over the web at the moment for making larger pierced shapes which are then used to make things such as bags, mats etc and is not the "quilt as you go " method for assembling quilts which I am more familiar with!!! So confused or not?

I have started a mini modern quilt for the challenge at the next regional quilters guild day which I am going to enter and this is certainly not like my usual small quilts. The theme of the day is modern quilting so maybe I will find out what makes a modern quilt!

I am intending to quilt in in straight lines and bind in a slightly darker grey.

This is one of the bags I have made recently - but I hope my swap partners are not looking!

I bought lots of fabric whilst on holiday at a retirement sale at QuiltEssential near Carlisle - a lovely shop I only just discovered but which is closing down shortly so I will have to search out others next time we are I the area.

Only a couple of weeks now to our next Quilt Retreat so need to get some projects planned for the weekend .

Tuesday, 5 August 2014

Where did July go ?? I can't believe it is August already and I do not seem to have achieved much while it has been so unusually hot here in the UK.

We had a lovely 10 days in Norfolk at Sandringham -on the Royal estate. The campsite was lovely and we walked up to Sandringham House one day and looked around the gardens and museum but Liz and Phil were not there to offer tea!!

We visited lots of lovely places along the North Norfolk coast but the weather was so hot !! I know now why we caravan in the UK rather than go abroad as neither of us like hot weather.

But we are getting ready to go off again to the Lake Distict and I am sure we will not experience weather as warm over there. Might even have the energy to do some walking!

This is a photo which was posted on the Siblings2gether twitter feed with a picture of the quilts our quilt group sent. We had a lovely letter from Della thanking us for our quilts and we hope the children at the summer camps will love them. The group have almost completed another 6 so we hope to get them off soon.

This shows the state of my work table - lots of UFO's and some I can't show as they are for the two secret swaps I am in -so they are hidden under my my beachball blocks. This is a Jenny Doan Pattern which I saw on YouTube and just had to start it. But it still has a long way to go!
Then there are the honeybee quilt blocks made from a jelly roll .......

I cannot decide whether to add yellow sashing or white??

I have also done some embroidery for a card and bottle bag for a friend of my Mum who is 80 soon.

This is my new Bag - I didn't make it but bought it while on holiday to take with me to the FESTIVAL of
QUILTS on Thursday!!! I am so excited and only 2 sleeps to go as my friend Audrey said this morning!
This is the biggest quilting event in the UK and I have always wanted to go and this year I am going with a lovely group of quilters on a coach. It is about a 3-4 hour drive from North Yorkshire but it will be great to get to see all the wonderful quilts and of course SHOP!

Might even bump into Bonnie Hunter who blogs at Quiltville Quips and Snips who is touring the UK at the moment and is posting on her blog about her adventures in the UK.

About Me

I am now retired having worked in a University for 15 years as an academic head of a faculty. I have been an Occupational Therapist for over 30 years -I now enjoying spending time quilting,machine embroidery and knitting - and also watercolour painting. I enjoy reading others blogs and finding new ideas